Dr. Markus A. Zoller, CEO RUAG Defence, is set to leave RUAG at the end of October 2017 in order to pursue a new challenge outside of the company. Andreas Berger, Senior Vice President NEO RUAG Defence, will head up the division on an ad interim basis.

Dr. Markus A. Zoller has headed RUAG Defence since 2013 and was a member of the Group Executive Board. The 49-year-old, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering from ETH Zurich and a doctorate in business administration from the University of St. Gallen, pursued the corporate strategy in his function as CEO of RUAG Defence and drove forward international growth by developing both the military and civil markets.

He introduced new technologies, products and services, one of which was the Cyber Security business unit. He further expanded relations with RUAG’s main customer, the Swiss Army, and improved the division’s organisational effectiveness, making it fit for the future.

Urs Breitmeier, CEO of the RUAG Group, paid tribute to Dr. Markus A. Zoller’s achievements: “On behalf of both the Board of Directors and myself, I would like to thank him for his valuable contribution and wish him only the very best for the future.”

His successor has yet to be decided and will be communicated in due course. Andreas Berger, Senior Vice President NEO, will head up RUAG Defence on an ad interim basis. Cyber Security will be managed at Group level from the beginning of 2018 and report directly to the CEO of the RUAG Group.

RUAG develops and markets internationally sought-after technology applications in the fields of aerospace, security and defence for use on land, in the air and in space. 57% of RUAG's products and services are destined for the civil market and 43% for the military market.

The Group is headquartered in Bern (Switzerland). It has production sites in Switzerland and in 13 other countries in Europe, the USA and Asia-Pacific. Around 8700 employees - of whom 430 are trainees - represent 48 nationalities and generate sales of some CHF 1.86 billion.